Since his appointment as Spy-Master had gone through Ragnar had worn the council robes of his predecessors who had also formerly held the post on any state occasion. The attire included a pair of fine dark brown leather boots, followed by black cloth trousers tucked into the boots. His chest and arms were coated in a similar black cloth shirt that carried gold buttons. The crowning jewel of the outfit was the jacket, it was made from the finest of black bear pelts and then highlighted with a greyish ink. Finally he wore a pair of black leather gloves that two were highlighted in the same grey dye. This made the whole outfit appear slightly ghostly (despite the gold buttons) and that was the feeling he was after. Listening to each of the Jarls as they spoke he thought carefully. Coldmarch was a great distance from both the Elves and the Dwarves and so he would be little help in commenting on their temperament and previous encounters however this also made him quite valuable. He wouldn't be blinded by pretenses and apparent good will. He could look at each individual on what they said and how they sold themselves. The other Jarls may have been focusing on the two kingdoms however as Otrygg had said there seemed to be pirates in the north and that was something that affected Colmarch immediately and he had experience in that area.

[i]"Jarls."[/i] 

Ragnar raised his hand before speaking.

[i]"We all know that the history between the elves and the dwarves is not a pretty one but one painted in blood. There is distrust between the two nations and we cannot be drawn into this. Offering friendship with one could easily be seen the same as forming a coalition against the other. We cannot afford to insult either yet we can't simply not say anything as that would insult both. We are stuck at an impasse that requires further thought. Perhaps we should attempt to seek further diplomatic meetings with each nation? And try to discover what each nation desires of us as well as increase the possibility of trade and, on a slightly darker note, scout out their land a little. If circumstances were to come that war were declared it could provide an insight into some of their terrain and the struggles we would face. On more pressing issues we have all been told of the pirate sails in the north seas. These will hurt all of us and need to be dealt with before it can hamstring us, the treasury is already next to empty and we cannot afford to either buy the ships off or engage in a full scale conflict. We must find a way to protect our interests and insure those of nations invested in us. Does anyone have any ideas in regards to that?"[/i]

Ragnar sipped at some wine before looking from face to face. He had some ideas himself however he wished to know what the other Jarls, who seemed to have skipped over the event, had on the issue.